Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen and ibuprofen, induce phenotypic antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli: roles of marA and acrB.

The factors contributing to antibiotic resistance in bacteria are an important area of study. Sodium salicylate (NaSal), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), increases antibiotic resistance by inducing the expression of MarA, a transcription factor, which increases the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump. MarA is a substrate of Lon protease and the Δlon strain displays a high degree of antibiotic resistance.

Fabrication of Low-Cost Flexible Superhydrophobic Antibacterial Surface with Dual-Scale Roughness.

In this work, we report a large-area fabrication of a flexible superhydrophobic bactericidal surface decorated with copper hydroxide nanowires. This involves a simple two-step method which involves growth followed by transfer of the nanowires onto the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface by mechanical peeling. Additional roughness in PDMS is obtained through incomplete wetting of the nanoscale gaps which leads to dual-scale roughness and superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 169° and hysteresis of less than 2°.

Enhancing the Bactericidal Efficacy of Nanostructured Multifunctional Surface Using an Ultrathin Metal Coating.

Insects and plants exhibit bactericidal behavior through nanostructures, which leads to physical contact killing that does not require antibiotics or chemicals. Also, certain metallic ions (e.g.